Miner&#39;s safety-lamp tester.



E. BENEDETTI E AL STELLA.

MINERS SAFETY LAMP TESTER.

'APPLICATION FILED APLI. 71911.

1,004,348. Patented sept.26,1911.

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MINER'S SAFETY LAMP TESTER.

APPLIoA'rIoN Hmm Amm, 1911.

1,004,348. Y Patented sept.26,1911.

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gauze screen.

, UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

FRED BENEDETTI AND ANDREW STELLA, OF BLACK DIAMOND, VlLl-SJSIIINGTON.` l

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRED BENEDETTI and ANDREW STELLA, citizens of theUnited States, residing at Black Diamond, in the county of King andState of Vashington, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Miners Safety-Lamp Testers, of which' the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to miners lamps and its object is to furnishmeans whereby the lamps may be conveniently tested to discover if thereis any openings for the admission of external air or gas into thecombustion chamber of the lamp, except through the appropriate gauzeprotected openings.

The invention consists in the novel construction and combination ofdevices, as will be hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view partly in sideelevation and partly in section, of a lamp tester embodying ourinvention and shown applied to a miners lamp. Fig. 2 is a View in sideelevation of parts shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of thetester shown detached and in open condition.

The lamp illustrated in t-he drawings is of the ordinary type of' minerssafety lamps. It is provided with an oil vessel 5 which is connected toand supports a frame comprised of upper and lower annular members 6 and7, or flanges as they are conventionally called, which are connected byupright posts 8 and inclose the lamp glass 9. Secured to the flange 6and above the glass is a shield 10 for an interiorly positioned bonnetor a gauze screen 11.

The lower end of the glass 9 is seated upon a ring or gasket 12 whilethe upper end is socketed in a recess 13 provided in the flange 6 andseating against the rim 11 of the The flange 6 is detachably connectedto the posts 8 by providing screw @threads upon the latter to engagenuts 8 which are screwed against the flange.

In order to clean and fill a lamp the flange 6 and the'superposed partswhich are connected therewith are removed. Upon the completion of suchoperation and before the parts are re-assembled, it is essential tosafety that there should be no leak holes about the glass ends or at theconnection between the gauze screen and the flange 6.

In carrying 4out our invention, we provide a casing comprised of twosemicircular members 14 and 15 which are connected by Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application filed April 1, 1911.

MINERS SAFETY-LAMP TESTER.

Patented Sept. 26, 1911.

Serial No. 618,424.

.ameter greater than the outer diameter of such flanges.

Peripheral grooves are provided in the casing to accommodate yieldablepacking strips 20 and 21, such as of rubber, which are respectivelydisposed to embrace the circumferential surfaces of the flanges 6 and 7when the casing is closed thereabout, as shown in Fig. 1 and affording anon-leakable joint. By the provision of elastic strip 22, Fig. 3, alongthe meeting edges of the casing members the joints thereat are alsorendered tight. The casing member 14 is provided with a screw threadedopening 23 for coupling the same with a line of pipes 24 which isconnected with a source or reservoir of compressed air at a pressureexceeding that of the atmosphere. Included in this pipe connection is acontrolling valve 25. A standard 26 may advantageously be used tosupport the air supply pipe and may be constructed of pipe and pipefittings.

In operating this invention, a lighted lantern is placed within thecasing and the latter clamped thereabout, through the agency of thelatch lever 17 and the catch 19, so that the gaskets, or strips 20, 21,will embrace the lamp flanges 6 and 7. The valve 25 is then opened toadmit the compressed air yinto the annular cavity 27 obtaining about theglass 9 and between the flanges 6 and 7. If there is any leakage fromthis cavity into the interior of the lamp it will result in theextinguishing of the flame from the burner 28 and thereby prove that theparts of the lamp were improperly fitted and that the lamp would berisky to carry into mines where inflammable gas was or might be present..If there is no leakage then the flame would be undisturbed and the lampmay be considered safe.

The invention is of' extremely simple construction and is adapted to beconveniently utilized and furnishes dependable means for safeguardingthe lives of people working in coal mines from explosions where the sameare caused through leaky lamps.

l. In a tester for miners safety lamps, a

casing comprised of hinged members arranged to form air tightconnections between themselves and the frame of a lamp, and means toapply an external air pressure within said casing and external to saidlamp.

2. The combination with a miners safetylamp having a frame comprisingtwo flanges and a glass secured between said flanges, of a leakagetester consisting of a casing formed of hingedly connected semi-circularmembers, gaskets adjacent to the edges of said members, latch devicesfor clamping said members together and causing the gaskets to bejuxtaposed with the respective flanges, and

means to supply compressed air into the space inclosed by the casing andintermediate said flanges.

3. In a tester for miners safety lamps, a casing comprised of twomembers arranged to be fitted together and about the frame of a minerslamp to form a non-leakable joint therebetween, and providing a spacebetween said lamp 'and th'eiframe, and means to supply compressed airinto the space intermediate the casing and the lamp.

FRED BENEDETTI. ANDREW STELLA. Witnesses:

FRED BREMMEYER, GEORGINA BREMMEYER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

